DuPage County, Illinois Divorce and Family Law Attorneys

Wolfe & Stec, Ltd.

1 N LaSalle St Chicago, Illinois 60602 USA

 (630) 968-5532

www.dupagecountydivorce.com
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Law Firm Overview Free Consultation

At the Law Offices of Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., our divorce lawyers are focused on providing dedicated representation on a full range of legal issues. Our practice focuses on complex family law disputes. In complex family law matters experience makes a difference. We have extensive experience in contentious divorces involving complex marital asset division and family-owned businesses, as well as protracted child custody disputes.

Our attorneys are experienced, aggressive, and accessible. Our fundamental success as a law firm has been in building quality relationships with our clients, who are treated with respect for their individual goals and objectives. We listen to their concerns, and respond with focused legal advice and assertive representation designed to resolve their problem quickly and efficiently.

We assist individuals and families facing tough legal issues related to divorce, including child support, child custody, property division, family law appeals and more. We also offer services related to orders of protection, same-sex partnership agreements, paternity actions, grandparent visitation and more.

Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. serves clients in DuPage County, and throughout the greater Chicago area. Our main office is located in Woodridge, Illinois, and we also schedule appointments in our office in the Chicago loop for the convenience of our clients. Our lawyers are licensed to practice in the State and Federal courts, at both the District and Appellate levels.

Practice Areas

Additional Practice Areas: Guardianships; Property Division; High Asset Divorce; Modifications; Child Custody Removals; Orders of Protection; Same-Sex Partnership Agreements; Postnuptial Agreements; Grandparent Visitation; Family Law Appeals; Prawo Rodzinne

Practice Areas Description

- Family Law

At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., our family law practice involves much more than divorce. As experienced and compassionate family law attorneys, we pledge to provide personalized advice designed to help you build a better future for yourself and your family. We also pledge to provide legal solutions that protect your rights and interests at all times. Making the decision to file for divorce can be difficult. Other family-related legal disputes can be complicated. In a free consultation, a lawyer at our firm can evaluate your situation and identify your key areas of concern. We will also explore your objectives and hopes for the future. Then we will chart a course designed to achieve those objectives.

- Divorce

Problems in a marriage are never easy to face. No one goes into marriage thinking about divorce, and by the time you have reached that point, you are probably stressed and worried about your future, your finances, and the impact a divorce will have on your children. For guidance through this turbulent time in your life, you need a compassionate and experienced divorce lawyer who will protect your rights and interests. Our attorneys have handled numerous high-asset divorce proceedings. We understand complex asset valuation issues involving privately-owned businesses, real estate, pensions, stock options, and hidden assets. When needed, we can call upon skilled financial analysts and valuation specialists to obtain a true picture of the situation. In every case, we are committed to providing legal representation of the highest quality. We focus on preserving sibling, parent and extended family relationships, as well as developing stable relations with blended families.

- Child Support

When a couple gets divorced and children are involved, parents are often faced with difficult situations regarding child support and child custody. Making important decisions about the financial security of a child is extremely important. The child support lawyers of Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., are experienced in handling even the most complex child support cases. At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., we provide families with the following child support services: child support, child support modifications. adjustments of child support, initial calculations of child support, enforcement in cases of non-payment of child support and penalties for late payment and failure to pay support.

- Child Custody

As experienced family law and divorce attorneys, Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. assertively works to protect its clients' rights and interests in child custody disputes and actions. In doing so, we also seek to protect and enhance the well-being of our clients' children. Some child custody disputes can be highly contentious and require expensive litigation, while other matters can be resolved through negotiation and the agreement of the parties. At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., we will review the circumstances of your situation very carefully. We will craft an approach which is designed to achieve the best outcome possible in a cost-effective manner, while protecting your rights and the best interests of the child.

- Relocation and Custody Rights

With increased job mobility and professional opportunities, more and more divorced couples with children face difficult choices regarding child custody arrangements. When one parent with physical custody of a child wants to move out of state or to the other side of Illinois, the Court usually must decide if the child can go along. Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. has frequently represented clients in custody disputes involving sole custody, joint custody, move-away and parental relocation. If you are a parent who wishes to relocate with your child or if your ex-spouse wishes to relocate, our firm can represent you.

- Family Law Appeals

An appeal of a lower court decision is one of the most challenging in the practice of law. To have a chance of succeeding, an appeal must be carefully researched, well written, and persuasively argued. Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. has handled numerous appeals of family law matters. We understand how to identify the key legal issues on which to base successful appeals and vigorously pursue them. An appeal may be made in virtually any family law matter, but are most common in these areas: child custody, child custody removals, asset allocation and valuation and child support.

- Paternity

Paternity is also a complex and at times emotionally charged area of the law. The establishment of paternity allows a father to enforce his right to be a part of his child's life as well as allow a mother, on behalf of her child, to enforce the child's right to receive financial support, including contribution to medical costs, daycare costs, and education costs. The attorneys at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. have significant experience in all aspects of paternity. As science and the law have evolved, so too has the use of paternity tests to establish facts and secure rights under the law.

- Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Recent years have seen a growth in the number of people choosing to create prenuptial agreements prior to their marriages. In addition to protecting the assets and the rights of the parties to the marriage, prenuptial agreements can also be used to define the terms of the marriage and set expectations regarding the disposition of property and other issues. At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., we have experience in matters involving prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, including: creation of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; review of proposed or existing agreements; challenging or defending a challenge to the validity of agreements; enforcement of agreements; and domestic partnership agreements.

- Grandparent Rights

Recent changes in Illinois law have made it easier for grandparents to establish their right's to visit their grandchildren. The Grandparent Visitation Act allows grandparent visitation with grandchildren without the presence of the custodial parent, provided a court-approved visitation plan is implemented. The law reflects recognition by the Illinois State Legislature of the positive role that a grandparent can play in a grandchild's life, and the benefits that such a relationship can bring for both grandparent and grandchild. Broadly speaking, the law provides for visitation rights for grandparents, great-grandparents, and adult siblings of a minor child, subject to court approval. As is the case with most new laws, the courts are still dealing with certain aspects of the new statute, and the application of the law may be further tempered by future case law.

- Property Asset Division

Property division can be one of the most heated topics related to divorce. No matter what the duration of the marriage, it is important that property is divided fairly. The attorneys at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., have extensive experience in handling complicated divorce and property division issues. It is important for any couple going through a divorce to understand the difference between marital and non-marital property: marital property - any property a spouse or couple acquires during marriage is classified as marital property. According to these rules, marriage begins the day of the wedding; and non-marital property - Non-marital property is classified as any property an individual acquired before marriage, and subsequently brought into the marriage.

- Same-Sex Partnership Agreements

In the United States today, many couples are choosing not to get married but remain in committed relationships. Many of these couples desire the option to have partnership agreements even though they are not bound to a marriage decree. At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., our lawyers offer legal services to same-sex and unmarried couples. We can help couples face tough decisions concerning property division, domestic partnership, child custody and more.

- Adoption

Although same-sex marriage is not legal in Illinois, adoption by a same-sex couple is. In Illinois, both parties in the same-sex relationship must file a petition for adoption. Once the adoption goes through, both parents have equal rights in parenting. If the same-sex adoptive couple separates, determinations about child custody and child support have to be made. The child will have legal relationships to one or both parents. Proceedings follow the same guidelines as a married couple, with regard to the rights of the child.

- Orders of Protection / Domestic Violence

At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. our family law practice also focuses on securing orders of protection for persons who have been threatened by or who have experienced violence by a family member, ex-spouse, or household member. Our firm also represents persons who have been accused of domestic violence. Our firm's attorneys have years of experience helping persons threatened by domestic violence obtained the protection of the law. Under Illinois law, actual violence such as an attempted assault or battery does not have to occur. A threat, intimidation, harassment, stalking, or interference with personal liberty is grounds for an Order of Protection.

- Child Visitation

The areas of child visitation and custody can sometimes be difficult for divorcing parents to agree on. Nobody wants to give up their parental rights, but most parents can agree that decisions should be made with the best interest of their child in mind. Visitation, or parenting time, can encompass many different arrangements. Today, visitation arrangements are made to meet the unique needs of each family. Our family law attorneys help families develop and implement visitation plans that suit their lifestyles. Non-custodial parents are generally granted visitation rights.

More Information on Wolfe & Stec, Ltd.

Divorce Attorneys in Woodridge, Illinois
Woodridge, IL Domestic Violence Lawyers
Woodridge, IL Property Division Law Firm
Child Support Attorneys in Woodridge, IL
Woodridge, Illinois Alimony Lawyers
Child Visitation Law Firm in Woodridge, IL
Woodridge, Illinois Paternity Attorneys
Marital Agreement Lawyers in Woodridge, IL
Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. Blog
Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. News and Publications
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Other Offices

• USA - Illinois, Woodridge - Main Office